SS Radio #88: John Horgan Returns

[Mark Rippetoe]

A Debate on Solutions with John Horgan | Starting Strength Radio #88

[Jovan Dragisic]

Weird, the guy hasn't been following the epidemic pretty much at all. The infection curve in the US has passed the inflection point, even with your super amped-up testing regimen, so why would he be advocating lockdowns now? I understand it when a member of the general public thinks this way, because of the constant media hounding, but the dude is a science author. How has he been able to escape reading up on the Great Pandemic? True enough, Scientific American, while not exactly at the forefront of the flat-covid religion, isn't very far behind, but come on, he's got no argument other than "I think we need to do this". W e i r d.

[Yngvi]

Unfortunately this man represents my typical experience dealing with our "elites" both Republicans and Democrats.

They maintain strong opinions that are based on fear of retribution for wrong-think and a deliberately planned wilful ignorance.
Haven't payed attention. Haven't critically analyzed the situation or the research. But, they sure as hell will tell you what you must do.
The lockdowns are necessary....but I still get to live normally and travel.
The vaccine is great! Everyone should get it.... except me.

He has lost touch with reality in an unusual and extraordinary way.

I probably lambasted Jovan and others early on when they used the term "let them eat cake". I couldn't have been any more wrong on that one.

Throw some unemployment at a half of them.
Let them have their $600 checks.

Let them eat cake.

[Jovan Dragisic]

He has lost touch with reality in an unusual and extraordinary way.

I probably lambasted Jovan and others early on when they used the term "let them eat cake". I couldn't have been any more wrong on that one.

Throw some unemployment at a half of them.
Let them have their $600 checks.

Let them eat cake.

Yeah, I remember you had misunderstood me. I was semi delusional at that point due to being overworked, so my cynicism had probably been too severe to understand properly. It had amazed me at that point that the very elites that had proclaimed the end of the nanny state were now convincing the people to seek its return, completely oblivious to the damage they were inflicting. It's this bullshit "Yeah, I know we are headed for a recession [which is now a recession 2.0], and I'm really worried, but we need to do this, EVERYONE ELSE IS". Mind you, I did have a head start, having grown up in the "utopia" they are calling to life. Perversely, they will be the ones eating the cake that the public was supposed to enjoy. Once this idiocy blows over, regular people will get back to their jobs much sooner than you think, but the systemic crisis will ripple through the academia, press, opinion making world for decades. I can even attest to this from personal experience. When the Lehman crisis blew up, it took about two years for the crisis to ripple through to the media, but once it did, boy were there fun times. I can only imagine what it will look like now. I made my way out of that god forsaken place and got to working in agricultural consulting, which is why I was fortunate enough to await this crisis with relative safety. I would urge all our science authors to acquire new skill sets rapidly, because once the peasants figure out who had thrown the cake at them, and the ruling classes realize they need to prevent the masses from constructing guillotines by throwing multiple scapegoats to trial courts, they won't be able to find a job writing dirty messages on bathroom stalls.

[mpalios]

Mr Horgan is no doubt a smart man, and a compassionate one too (so is Rip, he just hides it better).

But good grief, he was not prepared at all for this discussion. I was really hoping that the conversation would be more of a debate, where the opposite side (of Rip) would have more to say than he did. Quite frankly, I'd want someone to say to Mark..."You're wrong, here is how I can PROVE IT." And then, proceed to do so. Then, they'd continue to very respectfully debate/discuss. I was, to be honest, disappointed in him and his "performance, for lack of a better term. (whispers.....but maybe that was Mark's purpose/point in hosting him)

I'm not sure I'll tune in to Part 3 with this gentleman.

[Chris_Richard]

Damn it Rip, I just finished listening to this interview, and it’s so frustrating it’s hard to put it into words. Obviously a nice man, and rational, but his seeming lack of professional skepticism and curiosity about anything outside of MSM views is endemic of the greater public in this country. He was very dismissive of what you tried to communicate to him in many respects, though he was professional about it. This was a tough listen because I think he is pretty emblematic of where most people are at mentally these days.

[Jr_Geezer]

Weird, the guy hasn't been following the epidemic pretty much at all. The infection curve in the US has passed the inflection point, even with your super amped-up testing regimen, so why would he be advocating lockdowns now? I understand it when a member of the general public thinks this way, because of the constant media hounding, but the dude is a science author. How has he been able to escape reading up on the Great Pandemic? True enough, Scientific American, while not exactly at the forefront of the flat-covid religion, isn't very far behind, but come on, he's got no argument other than "I think we need to do this". W e i r d.

I lost all respect for Scientific American over their treatment of Bjorn Lomborg back in the early 2000’s. They have an agenda, and it’s not a scientific one.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Me too. It is the science tabloid. Newsweek for science majors.

[Jovan Dragisic]

I lost all respect for Scientific American over their treatment of Bjorn Lomborg back in the early 2000’s. They have an agenda, and it’s not a scientific one.

Sure, but like, I was expecting any argument other than "we need to do this". The clone army on the Covid thread has arguments that are magnitudes of order superior to this.

[VNV]

Me too. It is the science tabloid. Newsweek for science majors.

It was considered political back in the late 80s. A buddy from CalTech asked me why I bothered with the ‘zine. Some smart articles, but with clear political bias. It’s almost tolerable.

For similar reasons, I find it more difficult every week to pay for the Economist. There’s some good data in there that’d be hard to part with, as well as their bureaus around the globe - eyes everywhere. But they follow the groupthink about Trump/Covid. One line from the Holiday issue is particularly revolting: “Consider how the Chinese scientists sequenced covid and shared it with the world, leading to a vaccine.” (Trump verboten) Lightly paraphrased. I meant “disgusting”, no both.